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The suspect had reportedly stolen the van before deliberately driving it into a packed bus shelter in the Croix-Rouge area of Marseille just after 8am.

The driver then sped off, as ambulances were called to deal with people who had been injured in the attack.

An hour later, at 9am, the same vehicle was seen crashing into a stop in an area of the city known as Valentine, five miles away from the first crash.

Safety first: Police officers wearing security gear approaches the van used to crash into two different bus stops in the southern French port city

Accused: The van stolen by the 35-year-old - who has a long criminal record - stands parked in Marseille's Old Port

No entry: Police cordoned off the city's Old Port area after the man was apprehended

The man was then arrested in the Old Port, thanks to a member of the public who noted the registration number of the car and called police.

Marseille's Old Port was then cordoned off by police and members of the public told to stay away.

The suspect, a French national, has convictions for theft, drugs trafficking and carrying illegal weapons, police said.

Farda, the sister of the badly injured first victim, is unhappy with the idea that the aggressor could use his mental condition as an excuse.

She told French radio RTL: 'He is not mad. He has driven into one person and then driven into someone else at another bus stop near us. He was totally aware of what he was doing. My sister has a serious pelvic displacement.'

A police source added: 'He first attacked a bus stop in the Red Cross area, and then headed towards a shopping centre in Valentine.

The suspect was arrested shortly after the two attacks, and police are not treating the incident as a terrorist attack

Tour of horror: The suspect targeted commuters in two separate crashes in Marseille, before he was arrested in the city's Old Port

'He targeted another bus stop in front of a fast food restaurant. There were a lot of people on their way to work.

'The attack lasted less than 15 seconds, but was very deliberate. The van mounted the pavement and rammed into pedestrians.

'The van then headed off into the city centre. It was in the Old Port that it was immobilised by police. The man tried to get away, but then gave himself up calmly.

'There was no resistance, and no shots fired. Bomb disposal experts arrived at the scene to search the vehicle, but no explosives or arms were found.'

Casualties: French forensic police attend one of the bus stops hit by a man in a van during Monday morning rush hour

Taken in: The man was then arrested in the Old Port, after a member of the public noted the registration number of the car and called police

Officers at work: French police conduct their investigation on the streets of Marseille following the double-crash this morning

An eye witness of the second crash said: 'We heard a big bang and thought at first it was an accident. Then we heard the van heading off with its tyres screeching.

'A lorry driver was kneeling by the woman's side. She was lying under the bus stop seat. Seeing her, we realised it was all over.'

The other victim from an earlier attack has been hospitalised with a suspected fractured pelvis.

Investigation: Marseille police have said the crashes were 'very deliberate'

Stopping traffic: Police can be seen cordoning off the Old Port, in this image posted on social media

Marseille prosecutors source said the man had 'serious psychological problems', and was a 'manic depressive'.

A criminal enquiry has been launched, but 'the priority line of enquiry is currently the man's psychological state, and not terrorism,' said the source.

Following the attack at the Valentine bus stop, a witness wrote the number plate of the vehicle down, and gave it to the police.

This enabled a specialist police unit to intercept it as it entered the Old Port.